SEGMENT: ROCKY MARCIANO (MARCHEGIANO) 1947

LOUI PRIMA & KEELY SMITH

We were living in San Francisco again and would soon move to Petaluma, CA. My Father's cousins had moved to the U.S. from Italy in 1946 and started a Pizzeria restaurant in San Rafael, CA, just North of San Francisco. It could have been the first Pizzeria restaurant in the area. His cousins rented a space in San Rafael and opened up their restaurant. They planned on a grand opening and inviting as many high profile people as possible in the area. My Father had made arrangement for the four of us to travel to San Rafael for the day and evening and participate in the grand opening.

We left on the day of the grand opening from San Francisco to San Rafael. My Sister and I were extremely excited to drive over the San Francisco Bay Bridge. We soon arrived at the Pizzeria Restaurant and met a whole bunch of people in San Rafael, mostly Italians.

There was a male singer with a woman there also. His name was Loui Prima and his gal singer was Keely Smith who was about 16 years old. I really loved their singing.

I was introduced to all my Father's family relatives, mostly cousins. I sat down with one of his cousins and he told me he was a boxer and someday planned to be the Champion. His name was Rocky Marciano who eventually did become the Heavy Weight Champion of The World. I was then introduced to Pat Valentino, another relative of my Father. Pat Valentino fought Ezzard Charles in 1949 for the Heavyweight Championship of the World and several other famous boxers throughout his boxing career.

Other relatives were very spooky to me, nice but spooky. Some were from Chicago and New York. Because my Father was Al Capone's Barber for a few months in Chicago a couple of the visitors were from that era. We left for San Francisco early in the evening and said goodbye to all his visitors and relatives. Throughout the years we did keep in touch with most of them, especially Rocky Marciano and Pat Valentino. My cousin's introduced me to a song and told me never to forget it, Amapola! Fuggedaboutit for the rest!

My Father attended his Cousin Rocky's last fight in New York. A Hurricane almost blew him away. Rocky gave him the fight brochure below.

BOXING MATCH IN NEW YORK WITH ROCKY MARCIANO (MARCHEGIANO) AND ARCHIE MOORE